With finances in very good shape by all accounts, the Buckingham Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 2023 final budget with no tax increase at its Dec. 14 meeting.
The $20.49 million budget leaves property tax millage at 4, or $218 in annual taxes for a resident with a property assessed at the township average of $54,434. Buckingham gets most of its locally generated revenue and finances most of its $11.44 million general fund with a 1% earned income tax it splits with the Central Bucks School District, with each party getting 0.5%.
There were no changes in the township budget since the supervisors voted to advertise a preliminary budget at the Nov. 16 meeting. It projects a $3.99 million fund balance (surplus) in the general fund by the end of next year and sets aside another $1 million for the eventual replacement or renovation of the township building in the next five to 10 years. A total of $6.5 million has been set aside for that purpose so far, township Manager Dana Cozza and Finance Director Jill Pistory had said.
In addition, the budget allocates $400,000 for improvements at township parks in 2023.
Supervisors’ Chairman Paul Calderaio said Buckingham has the lowest property tax millage in Central Bucks County and among the lowest in the county. The township’s AAA bond rating is extremely rare among Pennsylvania municipalities, he added.
“It’s a team effort, thank you to our staff,” Calderaio said of the budget building process.
“A solid budget, and taxes have not gone up,” added fellow board member Maggie Rash.
In other news from the Dec. 14 meeting, the supervisors approved a resolution calling for multi-way stop signs at the intersection of Burnt House Hill and Landisville roads. Since the intersection is partly located in neighboring Plumstead Township, the same ordinance must also be approved there for the stop signs to be enforceable.
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